Black History Month Profiles: Kim Hamilton Anthony

Note: In celebration of Black History Month, Athletes in Action is profiling 28 African American athletes or coaches who are believers in Christ.

Kim Anthony’s gymnastics journey started as a young girl, flipping around on her neighborhood sidewalk in Richmond, Va., inspired by watching Nadia Comaneci in the Olympics. She and her parents made sacrifices and worked extra jobs for her gymnastics training. Those efforts paid off.

Anthony became the first African American woman to be recruited and receive a scholarship for the gymnastics team at UCLA. While there, she was a six-time All American and four-time national champion. She was inducted into the UCLA Hall of fame in 2000. Anthony competed with the U.S. National Team from 1984-86 and represented the U.S. internationally, winning the South African cup.

Kim gave her life to Christ as a sophomore at UCLA, led to the gospel by the man who would later become her husband, UCLA footballer Corwin Anthony. The two now serve as directors of pro ministry with Athletes in Action, previously serving as chaplains to the Miami Dolphins and their wives. She released her autobiography, titled “Unfavorable Odds,” in 2010.